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She Waits for You Beyond the Dark

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

The finale to Kristen Simmons's masterful horror duology that's "Jumanji but Japanese-inspired" (Kendare Blake) about estranged friends playing a deadly game in a nightmarish folkloric underworld.
"Twists, turns, and genuine palpable emotion." —David Levithan

  • "Haunting and unforgettable." —Melissa de la Cruz
  • "A nightmare I didn't want to end." —Terry J. Benton-Walker
  • "Absorbing." —C. L. Herman
  • "Bone-chilling." —Lauren Shippen
  • "Heart-pounding." —Margaret Rogerson
  • "Twisted." —Lish McBride
  • "Won't let me sleep!" —Chelsea Mueller
  • "Full of surprises." —C. J. Redwine
  • "Intense." —Kendare Blake
    "Death is not an ending, it's simply the next chapter. Do not be afraid to turn the page...."
    It's been one month since Ian's reunited friends escaped the hellish game of Meido and saved him. The survivors may have sealed the gate to the world of the dead shut and destroyed Empress Izanami, but that doesn't mean they aren't still reeling over the challenges they endured. Trying to relax back in the world of the living, they take solace in the fact that they rescued Ian from the nightmare that tried to steal him away. But there's just one problem—Ian didn't come home alone.
    The empress—now possessing Ian's heart—hitched a ride into their world and the only way to free Ian from her grasp is to find three artifacts for her, sacred objects which have been hidden across many realms. Unwilling to leave Ian behind a second time, his friends dive into a new deadly game, with terrifying challenges that not only test their mettle, but demand sacrifices—including their very lives.
    If they don't retrieve the empress's artifacts, Ian will be lost forever, but if they do, it could be the end of their world as they know it.
    At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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      • Kirkus

        January 15, 2025
        A new game begins after the events ofFind Him Where You Left Him Dead (2023). The empress, who's not so dead after all, starts a new game with her estranged husband, the emperor: She can possess Ian (whose friends rescued him in the first volume) for one night before sharing his body kills him. Unless she can gather the three pieces of the powerful but broken tomoe and remake it, she won't be able to "recreate her empress form." But the pieces can only be gathered by willing mortals. The villainous empress uses Owen's romantic feelings for Ian to gain his assistance. Meanwhile, Maddy's determined to rescue half-human Dax from Meido--where he learns the truth about his heritage--and to do so, she also ends up back in the game. Emerson, the final member of the friend group, is along for the ride despite her insecurities about being the couples' fifth wheel (she has a self-acceptance storyline regarding her asexuality, which is an effective foil to the romantic storylines). This time, the game takes them to Jigoku in a creative take on the Japanese Buddhist hell. The structure and plotting of the story results in a fair amount of repetition, but the horrific threats and the settings, deeply rooted in Japanese mythology, are strengths. Although the ending feels somewhat predictable, it's a reward for readers who are attached to the multiracial cast. Repetitive elements aside, fans of the characters and vibe will find much to enjoy.(Fantasy. 12-18)

        COPYRIGHT(2025) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

      • Booklist

        February 1, 2025
        Grades 9-12 This riveting sequel to Find Him Where You Left Him Dead (2023) is not one to be taken lightly. Once players are in the game of Meido, it's nearly impossible to get out. With barely enough time for the Foxtail Five, the latest group of players to reenter society following its nightmarish escape, Empress Izanami somehow reaches across the veil and possesses one member of the Foxtail Five, and the group succumbs to the game once more. Rather than travel as a unit, this time they're transported in pairs to disparate levels of Meido, from a poison-laced drinking game to outrunning the Gashadokuro. Without knowing the others are also trapped, each pair must forge on in hopes that their friends are not suffering the same fate. In a story steeped in some of the more terrifying tales of Japanese folklore, the players must use their wits and sacrifice more than just blood for a chance at saving their friends, themselves, and the world as they know it. Alongside dreadful descriptions of the horrors they face is a story about heart, hope, and the sort of adventure and trauma that binds friends for life.

        COPYRIGHT(2025) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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